This LuLu of a Cafe in San Francisco is Named Restaurant LuLu
Written: Sep 21 '02
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Pros: Unusual foods in an unusual setting.
Cons: Expensive, the food was good, not great.
The Bottom Line: This is not a restaurant for the average family or person for that matter. It is trendy, expensive with unusual food items.
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| jo.com's Full Review: LuLu Cafe |
Please Note: The name of this restaurant is Restaurant Lulu not LuLu Cafe, although I am reviewing the correct restaurant.
I am reviewing Restaurant LuLu. On our way to Hawaii we stayed overnight in San Francisco and took out to dinner my stepson and his then girlfriend. My stepson made the reservation, I don’t think this is the restaurant I would have chosen for a casual, inexpensive meal which is what we had in mind.
Location, Parking, Hours and Reservations
The restaurant is located at 816 Folsom Street in San Francisco, CA which is between 4th and 5th Streets and Route 80 and Market Streets. The website says “Restaurant LuLu is located just one block away from the Moscone Convention Center, in the bustling SoMa district of San Francisco" (http://lulu.citysearch.com/1.html)
The hours are Friday through Saturday 11:30am-11:30pm and Sunday–Thursday 11:30am-10:30pm. Their telephone number is (415) 495-5775.
There is on street parking as well as parking lots. On a Sunday evening during the summer we had no problem finding a place to park on the street where there was a meter in which we put a couple of quarters.
Reservations are needed. Although there was no wait when we arrived around 7:00pm the restaurant was full and my stepson told me it was a very popular place to eat. My sense is that you can make a reservation a couple of hours ahead (Unless it is a Friday or Saturday night) and be fine.
The Décor and Service:
We were nicely greeted and taken to a table up a few steps. Our waiter was wonderful. I felt as if he couldn’t do enough for us. He wanted to answer all our questions – there are some unusual items on the menu and made sure we had enough to drink, continuously refilling water and our iced tea. The service was really excellent. He didn’t rush us at all.
The restaurant is in a renovated warehouse space. Reading from my notes it, I wrote that the ceiling was neat – parts of it looked like wooden steps. It was vaulted and beautiful. It is very, very contemporary looking. I noted about 50 tables in blond wood, cloth napkins, chairs with cushions and an open area of grills. The open grill made the restaurant smell really mouth watering! There was also a wood-burning stove and I noted 2 huge, gorgeous clay vases. The restaurant reminded me of an upscale Bertuccis.
There is also a separate wine bar that did not appear to be a place where locals would hang out. There are also two private event rooms for and meetings. Soft music played in the background.
The Food
We were quickly served delicious sourdough bread and had a chance to look at the fairly large and interesting menu. There is a menu for the day and one for the night. There are daily rotisserie specials and nightly rotisserie specials and these prices went up about $5.00 at night. For example on Sunday the special during the day was Natural Black Angus Prime Rib of Beef with Potato-Onion Gratin and Porcini Butter for $19.50 and that same meal at night was $24.50. I didn’t order this but I would have had to ask what Porcini is.
The day menu is not available after 3:00pm. Something interesting to note: There is a children’s menu but only on the day menu and I agree. This isn’t a restaurant children would be happy in at night. Not only is the food expensive, it is unusual and the restaurant seemed to cater to the urban professional. I would not call this a family restaurant by any stretch of the imagination. LuLu calls themselves French. If you have been to a French restaurant you can get a sense of what this is like in combination with a fancy, Yuppie pizza parlor.
You can see the menu here http://lulu.citysearch.com/4.html and I would urge you to look at it before you go.
My stepson’s ex-girlfriend had expensive tastes and my husband and I were truly floored that my stepson brought us here. They ordered an Antipasti and could choose 3 dishes from the 9 offered for $13.50. They ordered, for example, Mozzarella Boconcini with Asparagus, Basil and Lemon and Pork Rillettes Crostini with Onion-Tomato Jam. The third one could have been Marinated Baby Octopus or Duck Liver Mousse (Is your mouth watering yet? I’m gagging!)
They also ordered a dish under Pizza and Pasta – Linguini with Grilled Tuna, oven-dried tomatoes, Olives, Capers and Chili Flakes for $15.50. These dishes were not tiny as compared to Restaurant Passerelle, (Trendy Philadelphia restaurants) for example, which was the most expensive restaurant in which I’ve been, but they weren’t heaping either. Of course they weren’t as expensive as Passerelle.
The “kids” had been here many times before and obviously loved the food or would not have brought us here. They said their meals were delicious and I have no reason to doubt them.
I got the Artichoke Ravioli with Thyme, Pinenuts and Parmeson for $13.50. There was nothing with this dish. There was no salad although there were some nice fresh cooked vegetables on the side. I noted that my dish was spicy (I don’t like spicy and I have had Artichoke Ravioli before and it has never been spicy.) and that it was good but not great.
My husband ordered the Grilled Quail with French Lentils, Baby Fennel, Spring Onions and Arugula for $17.50. He said his was good but also not great. It wasn’t filling enough for him either.
There are very few dishes for vegetarians. You can order my meal or one of the small plates for $7.25. You can get a bowl of baby lettuce (That’s just lettuce.), herbs and bread with Zinfandel Vinaigrette (That’s just salad dressing.) This actually surprised me. I would have expected more vegetarian plates and fewer Suckling Pig and Rabbit dishes.
Other information
All of California is non-smoking so that is a non-issue here.
According to the website, Restaurant LuLu is “consistently named one of the Bay Area's Top 100 Restaurants by the San Francisco Chronicle. Restaurant LuLu offers a seasonal menu featuring the rustic, wood-fired cuisine of the South of France, including grilled meats, pizzas, pastas, and fresh shellfish.”
I always like to note the restroom and surprisingly this was nothing to brag about. It was plain and functional. It looked as if they didn’t renovate it when they redid the rest of the warehouse.
Note the location because you will walk right by it if you are not looking for the blue sign on the front. In fact if you go to the webpage and look at the restaurant you can see that there is nothing announcing its presence. It is blue, though, so just look for a blue building.
My final thoughts
I would not go back here. Does that mean I won’t recommend it? No I will. I think it will appeal to many people. I hope I have described it well enough for you to get a feel if it is a restaurant in which you would want to eat. If you like unusual meals, cooked in a wood-fired stone in an unusual setting, you will like Restaurant LuLu, especially if you don’t mind spending $22 for a salmon dish.
Feel free to leave me a comment or e-mail me if you have any questions.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Parties of 8 or more will be charged an 18% service charge. Don't be afraid to ask what items are!
Best Suited For: Trendy Crowd
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